Saturday, February 26, 2011

Cyberia Paris | Blauel Architects

Cyberia Paris established a new and independent identity for the young and expanding chain of Internet Cafes. It had to meet a restricted budget and complement without submission the interior of a building which stands as an icon in the architectural world. In the summer of 1995 the president of Centre Pompidou had approached Cyberia with the proposal to place one of their new Cyber Cafés in the entrance hall of the building. The project had to be realised within the space of four months and a design for the prefabrication of all elements was developed in order to minimise disruption on site. The nature of this project created the opportunity to explore a wide range of industrial products, the controlling factor being a decision to reduce materiality to a minimum. A Metsec beam steel construction wrapped with a shimmering mesh delivers data, light and power to the work stations below and creates a visual and purposeful frame for the activities of the cafe. After the successful design of the Cyberia Café at the Centre Pompidou and further cafes in the UK, Blauel Architects continue to develop a specific approach for a new venue in Bangkok. The cafe occupies a corner building the structure of which has been stripped down to its concrete frame and also provides space for offices, training and conference rooms, food preparation and 12 covered parking spaces......more